Alleyway Confessions
by MedicallySpeakingYoureAdorable
Summary: He turned back, desperation written all over his face. "I can't lose you again, Kate."


**Hey doods!**

**Well, this was supposed to be effort I put into reading The Importance of Being Earnest, but instead I got inspired to write this little story down!**

**Please let me know if I have any glaring grammar/spelling errors, if there is awkward word choice or transitions, or if this is awful and I should stick to fangirling!**

**Disclaimer: AWM's dreams of the season 4 finale actually become the finale, whereas my attempts can only go as far as this website.**

Kate peeks around the edge of the building, her Glock locked and loaded, ready to end the life of the man who made hers a living hell. She takes a tentative step forward, not wanting to give away her position but refusing to wait any longer for the sniper to make himself known. She hears footsteps not thirty feet down the alley and tears off after them, Castle hot on her heels.

She had almost forgotten he was there.

She had forgotten a lot of what he did for her.

She tears down the alley, chasing the sniper currently trying to jump a fence and escape into the crowded streets of Manhattan.

She fires a warning shot, effectively halting her assassin in his attempts.

"It's over Maddox. Step away from the fence with your hands in the air."

"Oh no, Detective Beckett. It's nowhere near over yet."

She approaches, cautiously but steadily. "I guess you didn't hear me." She's face to face with him now. "I said, _step away from the fence._"

He complies with a smirk. "Anything else you'd like, your majesty?"

She smiles sinisterly, the thought of ending this man's life the only thing on her mind. "Now put your gun on the ground, and stand up with your hands behind your head."

_She's letting her guard down_, Castle realizes. She's too focused on Maddox, and not on his hand itching towards a small pile of stones next to his surrendered handgun.

"Kate, look out!" His warning came too late. Maddox had already thrown the pile into Kate's face, blinding her long enough to kick her to the ground and her Glock several feet away to the dumpsters. He picks up his own weapon, looking it over fondly before aiming it between Kate's eyes.

"As you know, my weapon of choice is my rifle. But seeing as your little precinct has my baby in evidence," He looks upward, seemingly recalling his kills with pride, giving Castle enough time to inch towards Kate's lost pistol.

"But seeing as you seem to cheat death, I'm going to have to resort to other measures to get the job done." Maddox looked back down, and smiled triumphantly. He thought victory was his. But Castle knew Kate also had tricks up her sleeve, would be on her feet in no time, ready to take on her intended killer.

But something was wrong. Kate wasn't getting up. In fact, she looked as though she couldn't get up even if she wanted to. Castle shot her a pleading look, desperately trying to convey his need for her to get up and finish Maddox off.

_But her PTSD is holding her back._ Castle would have berated himself if these were less dire circumstances. _She can't do this alone. I have to help her. But how?_ He didn't think boldly marching up to Maddox and putting a few bullets in his head would be the most practical way, much less a successful endeavor. Maddox is a trained assassin. He's a writer with a little too much time on his hands. The odds are not in his favor.

Then again, if Maddox keeps monologuing, he might pluck up the courage to do something brash. He and Kate have been lucky thus far. Surely that luck will carry over to today.

Won't it?

But he no longer has time to consider the potency of luck. Maddox had loaded a fresh round into his own Glock. Time is up.

"It's the end of the road for you, Detective. Say hello to your mother for me." His finger is closing in on the trigger. Castle can't stay silent any longer.

"NO!" He picks up Kate's gun as Maddox spins around, startled at the sound of Castle's voice. _Looks like I wasn't the only one to forget about him, _Kate thought, praying to God Castle comes out of this alive.

Maddox takes a step towards Castle, and that's all the incentive he needs to point the muzzle of Kate's gun at Maddox's forehead. Castle fires one, two, three shots in quick succession. Maddox slumps to the ground, dead.

Castle rushes to Kate's side, praying she wasn't injured by Maddox. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Concern flooded his veins, his only priority being her safety.

"God, Castle, what were you thinking? You could have died!"

"_I _could have died? You were going to die! I couldn't stand there and do nothing!"

"But you shouldn't have put yourself in harm's way!" She sat up angrily, preparing to argue every rationale for saving her life he thrust at her. This was not how he expected this conversation to go.

"Kate, I…" He took a deep breath, making sure to choose his words carefully. "Do you know what it is like to watch someone die in front of you?"

She glared at him, incredulousness laced with rage in her eyes. "Have you forgotten? I had my mother taken away from me twelve years ago."

"No Kate, I don't mean finding the body of a loved one. I mean watching the lights go out, as you stand her helpless, wishing that you could give up your life just so the other person can live." The fire in her eyes began to quell. She made no move to retort, and so Castle pushed on.

"I just…I couldn't go through that again. Back in the cemetery, I knew I saw a flash of light, something that should have tipped me off to what was going to happen…" Kate sat up, ready to tell him that what Maddox did in the cemetery was nowhere near his fault, but he held up a hand, silencing her. He took another deep breath, and continued, "But this time? This time I could do something about it. I know you don't need me to play protector, but God, Kate…" He turned away, leaning against a dumpster behind him and running a hand through his hair. He turned back, desperation written all over his face.

"I can't lose you again, Kate."

That's all it took for the dam to break, for Kate's rage to settle completely and for tears to make their way down her face. He leans forward, immediately taking a dislike to her pain. He goes to wipe away her tears, but she pushes his hand away. He sits back, hurt by her rejection, but understands as she instead dives forward and pulls him into a hug. He leans back, putting his arms around her shoulder and back, holding her close as a new batch of tears make themselves known on her face. She gasps as the realization of everything that transpired that day came crashing down around her, tears flooding from her as if waiting for this moment since first taking on this case. She combs his hair with her fingers, lightly scratching the back of her neck as her sobs subside, allowing her to speak calmly and coherently once again.

"Oh Rick...thank you. For everything." Her arms tighten around him as her head buries itself in his shoulder, making sure he knew the full extent of her gratefulness.

"Kate…I know you may not feel the same way about me, and God knows I've been as ass these past few weeks, but if nothing else I want to continue being your partner. Try as I might, love is not a switch. I can't live without you. So please, let me continue to work with you."

He tenses, waiting for her reply. In all honesty, he hopes for the worst. But even if she says she doesn't want him to work with her anymore, he won't hold it against her. Being given the privilege of working with her these past four years is something he'll never forget.

He looks down at her, trying to gauge her response. Finally, she looks up and him, determination in her eyes.

"God knows I've put this off long enough. It wasn't right of me to keep from you the knowledge of your confession, and especially wasn't right of me to tell you my feelings once you discovered my secret. It took me a long time to realize it, and even longer to come to terms with it, but Rick…" He brushes his cheek past hers, burying his face in her hair, and she turns his head back towards his ear, closing her eyes to fully take in the moment. She places her lips at his ears, opens her eyes, and whispers:

"I love you."

**I hope you enjoyed this! **

**Note: I read on some Castle spoilers site that the name of Kate's attempted killer is Maddox. So that's what I went with. Just in case anyone was wondering where the heck I got that name from XD**

**Please review! It's only logical ;)**


End file.
